Walter Wilson

Walter Wilson (1781-1847) was a Nonconformist best known for his History and Antiquities of the Dissenting Churches ... London (1810-14). He was a Unitarian late in life. He was the illegitimate son of John Walter (1739?-1812), founder of The Times. He owned a 1/16 share in the paper all his adult life, but operated a bookshop at Mewsgate, Charing Cross, from 1806 on. In 1808 he published the first two volumes of his History and Antiquities of Dissenting Churches, the third volume in 1810, and the fourth in 1814. His fifth volume was never finished and never appeared. He lamented the decay of traditional manners among nonconformists. His other work was Memoirs of the Life and Times of Daniel Defoe (3 vols, 1830). After 1814, Wilson lived at Bath, where he became friends with the Unitarian Presbyterian antiquary Joseph Hunter, who influenced him toward Unitarianism.